"Growing up, I think I had tried every sport except for boxing," said the 25-year-old. "And after this summer, I wanted to get in shape, so I joined (the Prince Albert Boxing Club) for conditioning."

Soon, however, Leier wanted to do more than just train.

"It was good," she said, "but I decided I wanted to take it to the next level and start competing."

So, like Belhumeur, Leier stepped into the ring for the first time last weekend to compete in the Silver Gloves.

However, the odds were stacked against her in the early going.

Because there was no one to fight in her weight class, Leier was forced to jump to the 60-kilogram division just to box.

On top of that, she was matched against an opponent with far more experience.

"The girl she fought trains in the same camp as (WBA super-featherweight champion) Jelena Mrdjenovich," said Koch. "She has six or seven fights under her belt. That girl was awesome. She was throwing 120 punches a round ... I've never seen a female boxer in that kind of shape before."

Even against such odds, Leier held her own for a bit. But when her opponent turned up the heat, it proved to be too much for the rookie from Prince Albert.

"I think I did OK," she said. "But I was in a heavier weight class and she had more experience. It was an experience I never had before.